The class will watch an animation that explains the importance of effective public speaking skills. Students will discuss how to create an effective PowerPoint presentation. The class will review how to properly cite their sources. Students will make the finishing touches on their PowerPoint presentations. They will practice their presentations taking into account strategies for effective public speaking.
The focusing question for this lesson is: How do we deliver a persuasive presentation? In the previous lesson we worked on our PowerPoint presentations. Today we will complete them and rehearse our Assembly presentations.
The animated gods Zeus, Athena, and Ares give you some last minute tips on delivering an effective presentation.
1. How does one speak in front of a group, clearly and with confidence?
Sample Response: A public speaker needs to use the proper volume- louder than normal. Reading slowly and clearly is important. The more a person rehearses in front of others, the better their speaking will be.
1. How should you use the PowerPoint presentation to not get distracted?
Sample Response: The PowerPoint presentation is meant to enhance your spoken words, not distract from your public speaking. If you need to use the computer controls to change images, make sure it does not take your focus away from your speaking. When you speak you should always face the audience, standing (not sitting at a computer and talking to the screen).
2. What should you do with your hands when speaking?
Sample Response: You should hold the index cards with one hand, and let the other hand rest by your side.
3. How do you discuss both sides of an issue?
Sample Response: When you discuss both sides of an issue, you should be respectful of the different perspectives people may have. The audience has mixed feelings about some issues, so be aware that you are trying to win people over to your side. Don’t make fun of other perspectives. Always show respect when you speak publicly.
4. How does a group create a strong conclusion?
Sample Response: The final conclusion should be written in advance so that it sends a strong message to the audience. It should be logical and convince the audience. The final conclusion should be spoken with conviction.
Today we will be reviewing a sample of an effective PowerPoint presentation. This PowerPoint presentation uses a minimal amount of text – one sentence or several bullets of information on each slide.
A PowerPoint slide should never have a full paragraph written on it. It should have effective visuals that emphasize the point the speaker is making and grab the interest of the audience. It should have a balance of images and text – one should not dominate the other. The colors should not be distracting and may even enhance the mood the speaker is creating when done appropriately. There should not be excessive use of sound effects, transitions or animations that distract attention away from the speaker’s purpose.
Let’s take a look at this PowerPoint presentation and examine whether it is effective.
1. Does it have an appropriate amount of text?
Sample Response: Yes, there is not too much text on this slide. It has just one sentence.
2. Does it have appropriate visual images?
Sample Response: The picture on this slide is appropriate. It matches the text and is interesting to look at.
3. Does it have a balance of images and text?
Sample Response: This slide has a good balance of images and text. Both are easy to see and neither dominates the other.
4. Does it make effective use of colors?
Sample Response: The background color of this slide is not too dark. The color matches the mood of the presentation.
5. Does it use the appropriate amount of animations and sound effects?
Sample Response: There are no animations or sound effects on this slide. It is not distracting.
6. Does it clearly note all the sources?
Sample Response: Yes, there are five citations noted, all in the proper format.
Having a good script and strong visuals makes for an effective presentation. Both work together to help convince the audience to listen to your views. Your PowerPoint presentation should be simple, straightforward, and help support your speeches at the Assembly.
Continue working on your presentations. Use the rubric and the questions we asked of the sample presentation to make revisions to your slides.
Once you finish your PowerPoint presentation, I would like you to practice presenting - speaking and changing slides. Each group member should stand up and present his or her paragraph while another group member changes the slides on the computer. All group members should be standing during their presentation.
It is important to know when the person before you finishes so you can be ready for your part of the presentation. As you practice presenting, remember that each speaking part is important. Try not to let changing the slides become a distraction during your presentation.
When you have finished your PowerPoint presentation and made all of your revisions to your speech, you must create a slide that includes all of your sources for your presentation. If you do not write down all of your sources, it is called plagiarism. Plagiarism is a very serious crime. College students that commit plagiarism are often expelled from school.
A citation is a way to let the reader know where you got your information. It provides basic information that can help others to find the sources you used to write your presentation. The Citation Machine can help you create a citation for any source that you used. It can help you cite books, magazines, and web pages. There are different ways to cite different sources.
There are also different styles of citation. For our purposes, we will use the APA style for citations. On the Citation Machine website, there is a menu bar on the left side of the screen in yellow. In that menu bar is a list of all of the different types of sources you can use for research.
Under “Electronic Resources,” it says Web Page. Since we used web pages from the Voices and Choices website, we should click on it. The Citation Machine asks you to write in important information including the title of the web page, the name of the website, and the year it was published. It will create a citation for your source.
The corporation that created this web page is Teaching Matters, Inc. The name of the web page depends on the person you are citing. If I am citing Helena's opinion on the war, I would write Helena: Against the War.
You must be specific about which web pages you used for information. The name of the website is Voices and Choices: Democracy in Ancient Greece. The URL for the website is http://greece.teachingmatters.org The website was published in 2005. Once you finish providing that information, click ‘Make Citations’ at the bottom of the page.
Copy the APA citation onto the sources slide, the last slide in your presentation. Make sure you include a citation for each web page you used in your speeches, which may include up to three to six citations.
